Reports from France indicate significant disruptions in various telecommunications networks, believed to be targets of sabotage in connection with the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. French authorities have confirmed that fiber optic networks from multiple operators have been attacked in six different regions across the country.
This information regarding infrastructural issues coincides with the French government’s investigation into connections to far-left groups related to the recent sabotage cases, including attacks on the country’s railway network. Specifically, problems have been reported in the region surrounding Marseille, which is set to host football and sailing events for the Olympics, while Paris has not been directly affected by the latest attacks.
Telecommunication providers, including Bouygues and Free, have confirmed that their services experienced disruptions. There have also been reports of vandalism targeting installations of the French telecommunications company SFR. Marina Ferrari, the Secretary of State for Digital Affairs, condemned the attacks on social media platform X yesterday, stating, “I strongly condemn these cowardly and irresponsible acts. Thank you to the teams mobilized this morning to carry out repairs and restore the damaged sites to service.”
The internet monitoring group NetBlocks also confirmed the disruptions in network services. These acts of vandalism follow incidents that left hundreds of thousands of train passengers stranded due to multiple intentional fires on France’s high-speed rail network. The attacks appear to be coordinated in relation to the Olympic opening ceremony.
Besides impacting passengers and athletes in Paris, there were also repercussions for individuals in London and other nearby countries. French authorities announced that traffic had been fully restored to normal on Monday.
A national investigation has been launched concerning the attacks. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed reports of an arrest in Normandy on Monday, stating that left-wing activists are the primary suspects. “We have identified profiles of several individuals,” he told France 2 TV, adding that the sabotage shows signs of left-wing group involvement.
Darmanin emphasized that the investigation is ongoing and cautioned against hastily placing blame. In response to the sabotage on the trains, 50 drones, 250 security agents were dispatched to the railways, and 1,000 maintenance workers were deployed to enhance security across the 28,000-km railway network.
The newspaper Le Parisien reported that 45 members of the radical environmental movement Extinction Rebellion have also been arrested for planning to protest against the social and ecological consequences of the Olympics.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticized speculations from Western media suggesting that Russia might be behind the attacks. Peskov asserted that such claims are merely “more fake news and unfounded accusations,” according to the state-controlled news agency TASS. He noted that Western media “do not hesitate to seize any opportunity to literally blame Russia for everything that goes wrong.”